Chapter 38: The Blue Silver King
When Ye Wen's disciples saw the towering, nine thousand year old Blue Silver Tree, they were thoroughly shocked. They knew that their teacher's partner, Ah Yin, possessed the legendary Blue Silver Emperor as her martial soul, but seeing such a nearly ten thousand year old Blue Silver Tree in person left them in awe. Blue Silver Grass, in their minds, was an extremely low tier plant that could be found anywhere; they had never imagined one could reach such an age.
But then, their gazes turned to an even larger hollow space nearby, and they fell silent. If a nine thousand year old Blue Silver Tree couldn't occupy the central spot in this special training area, what kind of soul beast was their teacher planning to bring here?
Deep in the Blue Silver Forest
"Your Majesty... Is it truly you, my king?" A voice resonated through the unique spiritual network of the Blue Silver Clan, wrapping Ah Yin in a deep, affectionate call.
Standing before the towering Blue Silver King, the strongest of its kind besides the Blue Silver Emperor, with a formidable age of eighty five thousand years, Ah Yin and Ye Wen took in the magnificent sight. Compared to an ordinary Blue Silver Tree, the Blue Silver King's rough and scarred surface spoke of countless years of endurance.
Sensing their approach, the vines closest to the Blue Silver King's trunk came to life, weaving together to form a face that spoke with a dignified, ancient voice.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty. And this... is the partner you chose among humans?" it spoke, reverently nodding toward Ye Wen. "I offer you both my sincere blessings."
The Blue Silver King had already sensed the bond between Ah Yin and Ye Wen. Despite their camouflage aided by Ye Wen's soul skill, Form Between Forms, which could fool even a Title Douluo their extensive transplanting of thousand year old Blue Silver Trees had not gone unnoticed by this grand elder of the Blue Silver Clan.
While other Blue Silver Kings existed across the continent, this particular Blue Silver King was the closest to attaining the level of the Blue Silver Emperor. As it spoke through the vibration of intertwined vines, using them to produce a sound, Ye Wen couldn't help but admire its incredible level of control.
"Honored King," it continued, "may I ask what brings you here?"
Ah Yin glanced at Ye Wen, signaling him to explain.
"Greetings, Blue Silver King. We're here to request your support," Ye Wen began. "We've transplanted many thousand year old Blue Silver Trees to our territory, creating a pseudo Blue Silver Domain. In this domain, plant based soul beasts can cultivate much faster, with the Blue Silver Clan benefiting the most. However, if powerful humans discover it, we may not be able to defend it. We hope you might reside there to act as a guardian."
Indeed, once they noticed the substantial benefits of clustering Blue Silver Trees, reverting the area back to its original state wasn't an option. Saint Soul Village was remote, with few soul masters passing by, but should any powerful ones appear, Ye Wen and Ah Yin's current strength was insufficient to protect what they had built.
Ah Yin had mentioned this Blue Silver King, boasting eighty five thousand years of cultivation. Though the Blue Silver Clan wasn't known for offensive might, a Blue Silver King of this age was far from an average soul beast. So long as a Title Douluo didn't interfere, this guardian would be invincible to ordinary soul masters. In particular, the Blue Silver King's specialty was entanglement; if any enemy got too close, they would be dragged down and overwhelmed.
After a brief silence, the Blue Silver King replied, "Understood, My Queen. I will gladly comply with your request. Perhaps this Blue Silver Forest can become a new stronghold for our clan."
Relieved by the Blue Silver King's swift agreement, Ye Wen smiled inwardly. There was no fear that the Blue Silver King would harbor sinister intentions toward Ah Yin otherwise, it could have easily devoured Tang San upon meeting him in the original story. Even though Ye Wen and Ah Yin had reached the Soul King level, if the Blue Silver King had wished to harm them, there would be little they could do to resist, especially given Ye Wen's unique martial soul.
In fact, the Blue Silver Clan was bound by a strong sense of loyalty toward its sovereign. As a species often underestimated and trampled on, they held their royal lineage with profound reverence. They were ready to sacrifice their very life force for their monarch, whose emergence quickened the entire clan's growth, serving a role akin to the rare divine beasts among soul beasts.
Despite its vast size, the Blue Silver King fit comfortably within Ye Wen's martial soul space, which had a capacity of one hundred cubic meters. Ye Wen took advantage of the trip to transplant all Blue Silver plants with any cultivation level, essentially clearing the entire Blue Silver Forest.
Seeing the ten meter tall Blue Silver King, whose trunk would take at least five adults to encircle, Ye Wen's disciples were speechless. They could hardly believe that their teacher had indeed managed to uproot and relocate such a powerful Blue Silver King.
Ye Wen then addressed his disciples and his grandfather, Ye Buyi, with a solemn expression.
"This here is the Blue Silver King, a soul beast that has cultivated for eighty five thousand years," he explained. "By a fortunate chance, I entered into a pact with him. In exchange for his protection over Tianxing Academy, we must show respect and care toward the Blue Silver Clan as part of our promise. Treat him with the same respect you would show me.
"From now on, focus your cultivation around the Blue Silver King. This spot has the densest concentration of life energy, which will greatly boost your soul power and physical training.
"Also, bear this in mind: the Blue Silver Forest is now an academy restricted zone. No one but yourselves may enter. Any intruder not permitted by me will face the wrath of the Blue Silver King. Do you understand?"
Ye Wen's serious tone left no room for debate, and all eight disciples nodded in unison, understanding the gravity of his words.
The Blue Silver King formed its face again and greeted each of Ye Wen's disciples and Elder Ye Buyi, then slipped into a state of deep slumber. Indeed, most members of the Blue Silver Clan preferred such a laid back lifestyle, only stirring from their dormant state when absolutely necessary.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10